Go Home Cheeky Animals: Dion Beasley and Johanna Bell launch second book in Darwin

With two published picture books, a brush with royalty and an exhibit in one of Sydney's most prestigious spaces, 24-year-old Indigenous illustrator Dion Beasley has achieved far more than many people his own age.

Beasley, who has muscular dystrophy, has been described as being "low key" about fame or accolades.

The pair still has to overcome the challenge of distance and communication barriers, but the second book involved a lot of video calls.

"Dion and I work side by side or over Skype to piece the story together ... that's quite different to the normal process of picture book development," she explained.

"I have an idea of what it might look like. I show him the words, using ordinary sign language and then he adds in his own interpretation of what I said and there's all these layers of humour and new characters."

Bell said the books were some of the first that reflected life in Indigenous communities.

"It's important because part of growing up and getting a strong sense of self is having your stories reflected back to you," she said.